Connected Places Catapult has announced that eight pioneering technology companies have been chosen to develop cutting-edge solutions for railway stations through the Station Innovation Zone at Bristol Temple Meads.
The selected innovations aim to enhance passenger experience by reducing stress and improving control during unexpected service changes or delays. They also tackle practical challenges such as condensation on station floors, supporting efforts to boost weather resilience across the rail network.
Each company will receive £4,000 to design trial plans as part of the Station Innovation Zone, delivered in partnership with Network Rail and funded by Innovate UK. Following this phase, three companies will be selected to pilot their solutions at Bristol Temple Meads over a six-month period.
The eight companies and their proposed innovations, grouped by challenge area, are:
Improving the interchange experience
DataWharf is developing a new journey support tool to help passengers using Bristol stations, disruptions and onward travel with personalised multilingual guidance; reducing anxiety and supporting those with additional needs.
Katlas is creating a trusted travel wallet to help passengers and station teams co-ordinate real-time assistance when journeys change unexpectedly, by linking navigation data, hardware and verified handovers.
Moonbility is developing a solution that helps passengers at multimodal stations understand connected train and bus services; reducing confusion and improving confidence when disruptions affect onward journeys.
Spoken Ink (trading as Whoosh) is building a new type of station-based travel chatbot that will help passengers to navigate interchanges with clearer updates, personal guidance and reduced anxiety.
XRAI & Ampetronic are developing AI-powered multilingual announcement systems to help railway passengers understand real-time platform changes and travel updates through instant translation, captions and an accessible ‘Auracast’ audio.
Station weather resilience
Purple Transform will deliver SITYE, a unified operational intelligence platform that transforms CCTV, sensor and system data into real-time and predictive insights – forecasting environmental risks, enabling proactive interventions, reducing slip incidents and improving operational resilience.
Quantum Risk Solutions is developing a new type of edge-AI platform that helps station managers foresee slip risks, deploy cleaning earlier, and keep passengers safe without altering infrastructure.
Trace Surveys is building a rugged multi-sensor device to predict and prevent condensation hazards while monitoring noise, vibration and air quality to enhance passenger safety, comfort and operational decisions.
The latest cohort of innovators has officially joined the Station Innovation Zone programme—marking the fourth wave of pioneering companies to take part. This initiative provides a unique environment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to trial cutting-edge technologies designed to enhance passenger experience and improve safety across the rail network.
Since its launch in 2023, the Station Innovation Zone has supported 25 forward-thinking firms, with eight of them conducting live trials at Bristol Temple Meads. The programme has opened doors to eight new funding opportunities, secured three follow-on contracts, and even facilitated an official product launch and industry recognition.
Image credit: Network Rail
